My Bird Table Big visitors to the bird table this morning, our resident Pheasant has found himself a small harem of females. Just a couple of feet away from the pheasants a male Chaffinch seeks to pick up a seed or two. And waiting a little further away one of a pair of Coal Tits won't approach until the bigger birds have moved away.

Ilkley Birdlife A Greenfinch feeding in a Hawthorn on the bank of the Wharfe. It appeared to be eating the opening buds of leaves. A pair of Goosanders hunting for fish in the Wharfe by the 3rd hole at Ilkley Golf Club. Opposite the 1st fairway at the club the river has eaten into the river bank this winter, cutting right throug the old footpath, but the newly opened bank has created some nice easy digging for Sand Martins. I was trying to get a shot of the swooping Martins when this Kingfisher flew in and perched on a rock. A clever crow, it had just flown across to the mooring below the Riverside Hotel where it pinched a big bit of bread that some people were feeding to the ducks. Finding the bread too dry for its liking, the crow dunked the bread in the river for a few moments. It is really hard to get good shots of wildlife, I think I ought to save up for a bigger zoom lens.

Fight ! Robins are just little feathery balls of bad attitude. During our two days of winter at the weekend I loaded with bird table with heaps of bread, nuts and suet, far more than two Robins could eat in a week, yet instead of just enjoying the free food the two birds spent half the morning battling and chirruping at each other. The snow did bring a more secretive visitor to the bird table though, a Jay came out of the woods to feast and ate his fill whilst the rabble of Robins rolled around on the floor.